Govt to free up another 10 million tonne wheat in open market

The government will free up another 10 million tonnes of wheat in the open market, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Thursday after a Cabinet meeting, as part of efforts to keep a lid on food prices.

The government buys rice and wheat from local farmers to build reserves and to sell subsidised food to the poor.

The retail food inflation eased to 7.97 per cent in June from 9.56 per cent in May after the government took steps to check hoardings and curb exports of onions and potatoes.